COLUMN: AT THE LIBRARY: The JFK assassination: Fifty years later

Carol Reinhardt

Sunday

Nov 17, 2013 at 12:01 AMNov 17, 2013 at 5:06 PM

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States of America, was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.The assassination evoked stunned reaction worldwide and left a lasting impression on many Americans. It also generated an active industry examining the Kennedy history and mythos, as well as conspiracy theories and counter-theories, and ongoing debate about the Kennedy legacy.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States of America, was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. The assassination evoked stunned reaction worldwide and left a lasting impression on many Americans. It also generated an active industry examining the Kennedy history and mythos, as well as conspiracy theories and counter-theories, and ongoing debate about the Kennedy legacy. Even in 2013, as the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination approaches, interest in Kennedy continues to engage the popular imagination, and a flood of new books about this seminal period of American history have been published to meet public interest. On Saturday — 50 years and one day after Kennedy’s death — Dr. Melinda Ratchford will present “The JFK Assassination: Fifty Years Later,” a multimedia exploration of the Kennedy history, politics and mythology at 2 p.m. at the Gaston County Public Library, 1555 E. Garrison Blvd., Gastonia. At this special public program, Ratchford will share her extensive Kennedy knowledge and collectibles in this informative look at a turbulent part of American history — an era that included the election of the first Roman Catholic president, the Cold War, the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban missile crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, civil rights protests and demonstrations, founding of the Peace Corps, the space race, and the early stages of the Vietnam War. Hours after Kennedy’s death, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the crime, but was shot and killed by Jack Ruby two days later. During the three days between Kennedy’s assassination and his burial at Arlington National Cemetery, millions of Americans watched unprecedented national television coverage of the tragedy. In 1964, the FBI and the Warren Commission officially concluded that Oswald was the lone assassin. However, in 1978, the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded that those investigations were flawed and that Kennedy was probably assassinated as the result of a conspiracy. That conclusion and the secrecy of the committee’s work drew wide criticism and derision from both the left and right of the political spectrum. The Kennedy assassination and evaluation of the JFK presidency continues to stir controversy to this day. During the past 50 years, information concerning Kennedy’s private life has come to light. Details of Kennedy’s health problems with which he struggled have become better known, especially since the 1990s. And, although initially kept secret from the general public, reports of Kennedy’s philandering have garnered much press. Still, Kennedy ranks highly in public opinion ratings of American presidents, despite the controversies surround his life, presidency and death. Ratchford, a North Carolina native, career educator, American history enthusiast and avid reader, was employed in North Carolina public schools for 31 years. She is currently an associate professor at Belmont Abbey College. For many years, Dr. Ratchford’s avocation has been the history of the R.M.S. Titanic. As part of that interest, she accumulated a large collection of Titanic memorabilia, which she has shared with various audiences through exhibitions and programs. In 2009, she began a year-long research project on the Kennedys. Dr. Ratchford has presented several professional workshops on “Camelot: the Myth and Mystique of the Kennedys.” She and her husband, also a retired educator, live in Gaston County. For more information about this event, call 704-868-2164 / Dial 4 or visit our website at www.gastonlibrary.org.

Carol Reinhardt is program coordinator for the Gaston County Public Library.

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